Q126_081226 Rom. 8:5 How To Find Out Whether You Are Doing Right Or WrongQ126_081226 Rom. 8:5 How To Find Out Whether You Are Doing Right Or Wrong
How it Happens with Colin Cook
Colin Cook explains Romans 8:5 to contrast living in the flesh with living in the Spirit, especially for people struggling with addiction. The talk focuses on grace, freedom from condemnation, and testing everyday choices through faith rather than fear.
14:39•12 Aug 2026
Flesh, Spirit and Addiction: Sorting Right from Wrong with Romans 8
Episode Overview
- Living in the flesh is described as any aspect of life – physical, emotional, or spiritual – that is outside of faith in Christ.
- Freedom from condemnation and death is linked to trusting Christ’s righteousness rather than personal law-keeping.
- Perfectionism and legalism can block growth by preventing people from testing and learning what is genuinely good.
- Every activity, from recreation to sexuality to Bible reading, can be approached either in the flesh or in the Spirit depending on whether God is included.
- People in addiction are urged to replace fear-driven avoidance with faith in Christ’s mercy, testing what is harmful and what can be safely enjoyed.
“The flesh is whatever is spiritual or physical or emotional outside of faith in Christ. And the Spirit is whatever is physical or emotional or spiritual in Christ.”
What makes a recovery story truly inspiring? In this teaching-style episode of *How it Happens with Colin Cook*, Colin unpacks Romans 8:5 to help people wrestling with addiction figure out whether they’re living “in the flesh” or “in the Spirit” – and what that actually means in everyday life.
Speaking to those caught in cycles of alcohol, drugs, food, sex, or obsessive worry, Colin explains that Paul’s focus on the Spirit in Romans 8 is about “freedom from death” and the end of condemnation for those who trust Christ. He walks through how chapters 5–8 describe different kinds of freedom: from God’s judgement, from sin, from the law, and from the power of death. A key theme is clearing up confusion around the word “flesh”.
Colin stresses that the flesh isn’t just anything physical: “The flesh is whatever is spiritual or physical or emotional outside of faith in Christ.” That means even jealousy, religious perfectionism, or reading the Bible with no real trust in God can be “in the flesh”, while things like mountain climbing, sexual pleasure, or a simple ice cream can be enjoyed “in the Spirit” when approached with God.
Colin challenges perfectionists and legalists who fear experimentation, pointing to Romans 12 and the call to “prove” or test what is God’s will. He applies this directly to addiction recovery, noting how many addicted people feel condemned by almost everything around them and become paralysed by fear.
Instead, he urges a faith-based approach: thanking God that “there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus”, and learning by testing what draws them back into addiction and what can be received as a good gift. This episode may appeal to Christians in recovery who wrestle with guilt, fear, and confusion about what’s "allowed" and who want a grace-focused way to sort right from wrong.
Could rethinking flesh and Spirit change the way you see your daily choices?
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